Euclid's Algorithm: The Oldest Procedure Still in Use
In short: The method in Book VII of Euclid's Elements for finding the greatest common divisor has survived more than 2,000 years, though no one can say how much of it was Euclid's own.
A 1:23 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Euclidean algorithm | Algorithm, Division & GCD | Britannica”; MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews, “Euclid - Biography”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Euclid | Biography, Contributions, Geometry, & Facts | Britannica”; Academia.edu (hosting Jeffrey Shallit's 1994 paper 'Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm'), “Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Elements | Euclid, Axioms, & Facts | Britannica”.
Sources used in this film
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Euclidean algorithm | Algorithm, Division & GCD | Britannica · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews — Euclid - Biography · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Euclid | Biography, Contributions, Geometry, & Facts | Britannica · View →
- Academia.edu (hosting Jeffrey Shallit's 1994 paper 'Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm') — Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Elements | Euclid, Axioms, & Facts | Britannica · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Euclidean algorithm | Algorithm, Division & GCD | Britannica
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews: Euclid - Biography
- Also: Euclid | Biography, Contributions, Geometry, & Facts | Britannica
- Also: Academia.edu (re-hosted abstract of the 1994 article 'Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm'; the original : Origins of the analysis of the Euclidean algorithm
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Elements | Euclid, Axioms, & Facts | Britannica
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